If you’ve visited your dentist often enough, you may have heard them mention sedation dentistry. In particular, they might’ve emphasized how it relieves dental anxiety during treatment. However, the method can do more than just calm your mind. In truth, there are various benefits of sedation dentistry that don’t get talked about much. In case you’d like to learn more, your Colorado Springs periodontists can give you the details. Here’s a summary of three lesser-known perks of sedation dentistry besides its ability to ease fears.
The Basics of Sedation Dentistry
Put simply, sedation dentistry is something dentists use to relax patients for a procedure. It works by relying on various drugs with a range of calming effects.
Dentists use three types of dental sedation: nitrous oxide, oral, and IV sedation. For the first, a patient inhales nitrous oxide or “laughing gas” through a nose mask during the visit. Meanwhile, oral sedation involves taking a prescribed medication before your visit. Lastly, the IV approach is when a dentist injects the sedative into your bloodstream.
Sedation Dentistry’s Lesser-Known Benefits
Sedation dentistry has several benefits beyond just relaxing you. Among other things, it can also offer:
Pain Relief
Even if you don’t fear dentistry itself, you might worry that a procedure will be painful for you. Should that happen, it’s tempting to avoid or put off treatment. Unfortunately, this option would only make your dental issues worse.
Fortunately, you don’t have to worry about pain with sedation dentistry. Due to its calming effect, it essentially numbs the brain from feeling discomfort. As such, your visit will be highly comfortable.
Temporary Amnesia
Depending on your oral health, you might need a treatment that’ll take a while. If you’re the impatient sort, that can lead to boredom and frustration as you wait for your dentist to finish working.
Still, you could avoid these negative feelings by getting sedation dentistry. As it turns out, the latter can trigger temporary amnesia in patients. In other words, many patients who use it don’t remember how their procedure went. As a result, the treatment process feels less lengthy and involves much less waiting around.
Faster, Cheaper Treatment
Sometimes, sedation dentistry can lead to a treatment going more quickly.
Consider a procedure that requires you to take medication, for instance. Sedatives would help you recover more quickly from this medicine, meaning you could return to work after a weekday visit with no downtime.
On the other hand, sedation could let you receive multiple procedures in a single visit. Doing so would save you time on your schedule and cut down on costs.
In the end, the benefits of sedation dentistry are more subtle than you’d think. Keep the ones above in mind, then, as you consider your future dental needs.
About the Practice
Rocky Mountain Periodontal Specialists is based in Colorado Springs, CO. As led by Drs. Geoff Haradon, Tyler Haradon, and Karl Lackler, our practice provides excellent dental care that restores oral health. In particular, we offer periodontal therapies, tooth extractions, and dental implants. Our office is also a certified provider of bone graft procedures that reinforce your jaw. For more information or to book a visit, you can reach us on our website or by phone at (719)-574-4867.